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Reminder: 10-inch minimum size limit for Lake Griffin black crappie

News Release

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Media contact: Joy Hill, 352-258-3426

Fishing for black crappie is in full swing right now, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists remind anglers that in Lake Griffin they may only keep black crappie that are 10 inches or greater in length. The change went into effect July 1. The daily bag limit is still 25.

Black crappie is a tasty freshwater fish popular with anglers, particularly during the cooler months when the fish are really biting. FWC creel clerks will be on Lake Griffin in Lake County surveying anglers from November through April, so that FWC staff can evaluate the effects of this change. Based on models, this larger-size restriction could provide increased total numbers and average sizes of harvested crappie and reduce overfishing of younger fish.

“The Lake Griffin black crappie population has the potential to support a greater harvest of the larger black crappie,” said Dennis Renfro, fisheries resource coordinator for the FWC. “The 10-inch minimum size with a 25-fish daily bag limit should allow anglers to take more large fish without harming the abundance or size/age structure in the lake.”

The FWC passed the rule at its meeting last February. The FWC approved the staff-recommended rule after a public hearing process that began last January in Leesburg.

FWC Facts:Seagrasses are not true grasses and are actually more closely related to lilies.